Prototype of Canceled Castlevania Dreamcast Game Discovered
A piece of Dreamcast history emerged over the weekend. Gaming history preservationists shared a video of a playable Castlevania: Resurrection prototype. Envisioned as a 3D action-platformer, it would have introduced Victor Belmont, part of the long-running family opposing Dracula’s forces. Castlevania: Resurrection, originally slated for the Sega Dreamcast, was canceled in March 2000 with the advent of newer consoles. The footage, captured on a video camera rather than by using a capture card, is indistinct, though some details are identifiable.
The Castlevania: Resurrection prototype features Sonia Belmont traversing a few dark, gloomy interiors and a courtyard. Sonia Belmont originally appeared in Castlevania Legends, released in November 1997 in Japan. Since the events of Resurrection would have taken place over 200 years after Legends, it begged the question of how Sonia appeared both alive and as a young woman. The levels are obviously unfinished, and the unidentified player needed to use a developer menu to navigate.
Combat naturally would have existed in Resurrection, but the version in the prototype is clearly incomplete. Wraithlike enemies would simply home in on Sonia. Obstacles such as lava didn’t damage or kill the player either, which suggests the developers hadn’t finished the environmental effects. Bats, a common enemy, did seem to harm her on contact, however. Fireballs from Bone Pillars also seemed to do damage. The retail version of Castlevania: Resurrection would have featured both Victor and Sonia Belmont as deuteragonists displaced from their original times.
One of the many scions of the notorious clan, a Victor Belmont appeared in 2014’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. This Victor bears a passing resemblance to the concept art, though the timeline doesn’t match his canceled Resurrection incarnation. The video of Castlevania: Resurrection was uploaded to YouTube by cvr exists on April 4. You can check out the prototype for yourself below.
